


Cloud Nine

by Gale-Of-Stories (Home_Sweet_Homebrew), Occultura



Series: Dance Around My Edges [1]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-15 21:19:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18677578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Home_Sweet_Homebrew/pseuds/Gale-Of-Stories, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Occultura/pseuds/Occultura
Summary: Gale's life is pretty adventurous, but the wildest ride she'd ever been on? Well, he really loved to wear red.(Or, also known as, four times Gale stole something from Dante, and one time Dante stole something from Gale.)((Prequel to TPW"H"F))





	1. Well now, just who are you?

**Author's Note:**

> SO, you might notice a considerable ah...change, in the way narration works in this fic.
> 
> DONT WORRY. I just hired on (more like she offered) a brand new very talented Editor. Welcome Occultura to the team lads!

The first time Gale met the handsome man, it was... _dusty._

Across the globe, news of a volcano on the coast of Mnemosyne’s “eruption” was spreading, and with it, the revelation that inside was not an ocean of magma waiting to rain havoc down upon the locals nearby, but rather the ancient ruins of an entire city.

Problem was that it was nearly impossible to access, for not only it was situated in the middle of the ocean with no beach to land a boat on, but also the volcano itself was nearly as steep as a cliff. The only real way up was to climb and hope you didn’t fall to your death.

Luckily, Gale didn’t have to worry about that.

Getting to the volcano was easy enough, for she was already in Mnemosyne when the eruption occurred, so when news got out, she was there before anyone else. She was _prepared_.

“Alright, Samuel. You owe me this, so I don’t want any complaints. It’s the _least_ you could do for me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Get your shit and get in the boat. I’m ready for this to be over with so you can stop fuckin’ dangling that whole incident over my head.”

 _“Incident?_ You ratted me out to Guyver and nearly got me killed— not to mention the absolute fortune of treasure I lost because of it! You honestly thought he was telling you the truth? That he’d _ever_ have let you have any of it?”

Gale lugged a couple of large duffle bags filled with equipment and supplies into the rusted fishing boat before bending over to pick up her trusty old backpack. She made sure to clip it in place, something she’d never really bothered (thinking it looked kind of stupid) until she lost her old backpack and all her vital supplies during a freak storm while sailing in a boat… One much like this.

“ _Live and learn.”_ She thought.

Gale climbed into the boat and ignored Samuel, who’s face in turn looked something between guilty and angry. Brushing him off, she sat herself at the front of the boat, planting her chin in the palm of her hand. Her gaze trailed the people milling about as the boat slowly pulled away from the dock.

Gale was glad that the “volcano” was already in sight from the shore. Being able to keep track of its position made the trek there much faster; a godly stroke of luck considering the tight schedule she kept. Arrive, get the goodies, and get out. No one would even know what they’d missed.

The waters were harsh, as if still agitated by the seismic activity. Perhaps on another level, _literally_ agitated by the return of the ruins.

She figured there’d be no answers until she’d had a thorough investigation.

Eventually, they approached as far as Samuel was willing to get, for the fear of risking his boat and losing their only ride back was far too much. The man dropped anchor and kicked back into his seat, magazine in one hand and booze in another.

“Good luck.” he offered.

Gale spared him a grin hoping to ease his guilty tensions. She picked up her belongings and stood at the edge of the boat. The sheer height of the volcano was threatening at best and Gale found herself having to crane her neck just to catch a glimpse of the summit. After spending a few brief moments taking in the sight, she crouched down and held her hand forward. All around her, the wind died, funneling its sheer power underneath her in a volatile yet well controlled manner. She leapt, using the winds to her advantage and soared a few hundred feet above the ground. Gathering her focus, Gale guided herself to the edge of the volcano, landing just a little ways away from the edge.

“It’s beautiful,” she spoke under her breath. “Shame not many people have stepped foot here.”

A true sentiment, as the ruins looked virtually untouched by time.

Of course, Gale spent no time milling about. Immediately, she began her search for a place to set up camp. On trips like this, it was necessary to have a safe place to crash just in case the job took longer than expected.

It wasn’t long until Gale spotted a little alcove nestled into the side of the volcano. As expected, it was rather damp with water from the sea. Other than that, the alcove itself was a fairly tight space, one not easily to spotted by others. It was definitely secure.

Gale rummaged about in her duffle bags, pulling out flares and other small supplies, one such vital object being a loving gift from a recent acquaintance by the name of Nico.

She’d met the rambunctious woman a while back and had been instantly charmed by her. Gale’s eagerness to help find obscure supplies for the various projects she was working on had not only earned Nico’s favor, but also an entirely custom set of gear tailored to her liking. Her favorite out of the lot was a compact and very powerful harpoon.

“Got the idea from another girl I know, calls ‘erself Lady-- If ya know ‘er by any chance.”

The name was familiar, but not in a personal way. Lady frequented her shop as well, often in search of information, something of which Gale inarguably had a _much larger_ collection of. As much as Gale loved being a treasure hunter, she was still an acolyte of a God of Knowledge first and foremost.

Gale geared up and prepared to scale the massive incline of the volcano. She climbed as far as she could get before the mountainside was so steep that she began to slide back down.

“Alrighty, Nico. Don’t let a girl down.”

Making sure to hold onto the contraption with both hands, Gale aimed high up on cliff and fired, grunting with the force it exerted. The harpoon plunged itself securely into the stone, sending some small rubble tumbling down. She pulled the trigger a second time, the sheer force of it ripping her from the cliffside.

She stumbled, finally regaining her footing on the cliff face thanks to a well-timed puff of air-- the only thing keeping her from breaking her face on the hard stone. With that, she ran along the side of the formation, the strong motor in the harpoon gun propelling her as she went.

Once she surpassed the hook itself, Gale mustered up all the magic she could and shot missile of wind toward the ground. The force of the propulsion caused it to whistle loudly. Though there was no impact, the momentum shot her ever higher, just barely near the edge of the volcano.

Once again she landed, this time much with considerable less stable footing. The landing area here was much more narrow and sent Gale flailing back and forth for a moment in an attempt to maintain her balance..

“Okay… Oh… Oh wow…”

Gale was virtually speechless. Below her, there were no decrepit ruins, nor was there a mausoleum. No dark, dank halls of some cave-dwelling civilization— something she would have been used to seeing. Instead, it was a sprawling city littered with towers and bridges and streets, all easily thousands of feet beneath her The place was beyond _**massive.**_

“Okay Gale… Find the goodies and get out of here. The city will be fine, but the artifacts won’t.”

With another supplementary blast of air, Gale was off. She soared elegantly over the city, yet despite knowing better, she couldn’t help but let out an excited shout as she went tumbling down into the city below. A true feat of gymnastics.

Gale loved her many spiritual abilities, but she would always be most grateful that the Great Oak gifted her with control over his Breath.

This place was a playground for Gale. Crumbling bridges and towering architecture would make such a trek virtually untraversable on foot. But to Gale, this was but a beautiful jungle gym. She effortlessly leapt across the massive gorge, her magical aide allowing her to bound through the ancient complex of ropes both as delicately and lightly as a feather.

What Gale hadn’t realized yet was that she was in fact not alone. In addition to this, she also had the creeping feeling that she was being watched.

Gale had already filled up her backpack with several artifacts, not just plates and wares, but actual magical objects. The ruins were _loaded_ with them _._ By now, she had just made it into the central tower. Mimir pointed out that he could feel immense power radiating from inside.

There it was. A strange pulsating orb that emitted a harmonious humming noise. It seemed to ripple, not unlike a ball of liquid, if that were gravitationally possible. Along it’s mystical surface, bright cyan runes appeared and reappeared. Suddenly, Gale pieced together that the unnerving feeling she had caught earlier was likely from being in the presence of this _thing._

“Careful lass… That thing oozes malice.” Mimir’s voice was low, as if he was afraid of being heard.

And of course, to no avail.

The rippling sphere let out a deafeningly loud sound, one so loud that Gale had to clamp her hands over her ears. She could feel it rattling throughout her body. After it fell silent, the faint yet unmistakable sound of shambling could be heard, rapidly approaching.

From the plethora of ancient doors situated in the side of the expanse (the same ones Gale _didn’t_ bother using), dozens of what appeared to be suits of armor came flooding into the room. They began to climb and topple over each other in a desperate attempt to get to Gale, likely to tear her apart.

She unsheathed her chakram from her back and grinned at the masses.

“Come get me!”

Gale spun on the spot and flung her weapon hard at her aggressors, suppressing a laugh when it crashed into them, shattering them into pieces.

“They really were just empty suits.” Gale noted.

The chakram continued to bounce violently, ricocheting off the wall, the suits, and the cage encasing the magical sphere in the center of the room. As the blade made its final rounds about the room, it returned to Gale’s hand and she sheathed it once again.

“Nice work, kid.”

Gale’s gaze shot upwards. Sure enough, the source of the voice was staring down at her. Sitting on the lip of the tower above her was a man she’d never met before.

The man wore a red jacket, a pair of unusual boots (accessorized with an absurd number of straps on them), and his shirt was haphazardly tucked into his leather jeans. Most notably, there was something strapped across his back: a sword of considerable size.

“Thanks, but I would’ve appreciated some help.” She said, shooting a grin at the man. As she did so, he drew a gun from his back and shot just to the left of her head. Gale could hear the audible crack of something breaking behind her and immediately knew what it was.

“Who said I _wasn’t_ gonna help?”

With a push, he fell down directly in front of her. Gale gasped.

“Oh. _Oh no. He’s prettier up close.”_

The man was a bit scruffy, exactly in the same way one might expect a treasure hunter to look. His hair, pale not unlike hers, and had a few faint gray strands hidden among the snowy white. Nestled into his face were a pair of glittering green eyes.

“Well then, _pretty boy._ Help?”

She grinned broad at him and turned as he quirked a brow. This was a game to her and she could not afford the man a chance to retort before she made her great escape. In the blink of an eye, Gale charged past the animated suits littered around her side of the room.

As she ran, she disassembled her chakram into its smaller form and jumped, planting her foot firmly against the wall for leverage. As she descended down into the suits once again, Gale made a show of smashing the weapon into the helmet of one of her armored foes. It crashed and crumbled beside her as she rolled between the next two, jamming the chakrams up underneath the helmets and tearing them off. As quickly as she had felled the first, Gale had about halved that time with the second set.

In the meantime, she could hear the man shouting as he shot through droves of enemies focused on him, every once in awhile prying his sword from his back to cleave away groups that got too close.

“Can’t have you stealing all the fun, handsome.”

She spun on the spot and flung one of the chakrams, curving it around the bend and uncomfortably close to his face and crashing hard into a row of the suit pursuers.

Gale couldn’t help it. She wanted to be flashy.

Her hands began to take on a stormy blue color, sparks dancing between her fingers and the palms of her hands.

She let it build for a moment and then clapped her hands.

The chakram shards embedded in the hoard of assailants exploded _,_ sending

lightning shooting out from **every direction.** The impact shattered a few suits on contact, reducing those closest to the blade to dust, and puncturing large charred holes in the ones furthest away.

Gale was surprised that the man didn’t yelp. Instead, he shot her a wide excited grin, his eyes alight with glee.

“You’re a _feisty_ chica, aren’t you!?”

He let an excited laugh and unsheathed the blade from his back, diving headfirst into the fray. It seemed Gale’s little show of action had prompted him into one of his own.

She was certainly smitten.

Gale ran around the corner and into his view again. For a moment, the man was both startled and confused by the fact that she wasn’t slowing down until a strong gust of wind whipped up at his shins and lifted her from the ground. She dove overhead and spun mid-air, bringing the chakram down on a suit that’d crept up behind him. Gale landed and pressed her back flat against his as the suits surrounded them, laughing with a faint pant.

“So what are you here for, sexy?” She sounded breathless and secretly hoped that he assumed it was from the exertion.

“Well babe, probably the same thing you are. That big fancy rock up there.”

She didn’t need to see to know what he was pointing at. The orb.

“Aw, sugar. I was hoping not! I need that for myself.”

She could feel him laugh just as much as she heard it. It sent a tingle down her spine.

“Guess you’ll just have to race me for it.”

Without a second thought, Gale kicked off the ground, rolling over his back and landing right in front of him.

“Is that a challenge?” she asked, her words dangerously close to his face.

He grinned and bent down to get closer.

“...Maybe it is.”

“You’re on, hot stuff.”

With that, Gale blasted him with a gust of wind just strong enough to knock him off balance. She took off, carving her way through her assailants and then leaping onto the cage that entrapped the orb. Sighing, she counted her blessings that she was a skilled climber. Faintly below her, she could quietly hear the man shout something to the effect of ‘not fair!’ before dashing onto the other side.

Once again, the unmistakable rattling of armor came into focus and she knew the suits were still following after them. Gale and her new friend both reached the top where the hatch was and resumed their back-to-back stance to face off against their combatants.

The fighting went well for a time. All turned south when the man decided to do something reckless. He planted his blade down into the space between the hatch and the cage. Whatever his sword was made of agitated the magic of the orb and caused an abrasive screech. Just then, the whole cage began to fall apart.

Gale and the man in the red coat were caught off guard by this and were thrown roughly to either side of the room. The hoard of armored suits halted their advances and began to deconstruct, leaving debris everywhere. Gale exhaled, thanking the God of Luck for being on her side.

When she came to, Gale noticed something protruding from the rubble in front of her. It was the orb.

She picked the small thing up and deposited it discreetly in her backpack before standing up and dusting herself off. She peered at the wreckage, eyes scanning for a glimpse of red.

“Well, that was fun!”

She turned her head toward the sudden movement in the heap of rubble lying on the floor. Sure enough, there he was, arms crossed and grinning ear to ear.

“Sure was… Maybe we’ll get to do this again sometime?”

She watched as he raised his brows in response.

“Maybe? Guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

She nodded her head as he approached, completely disregarding any sense of personal space once again..

“Hey, gorgeous.” “What’s up?”

“I think you’re missing something.”

There was a brief moment of confusion just before the realization dawned upon him. The man looked around him, snapping back around to face her, but it was too late. She’d made her grand escape. For the second time, of course.

Gale grinned up at his retreating form and gave him a salute. She then conjured up a jet stream and as easy as that, she was free.


	2. Now I feel like an idiot.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dante happens across his mystery woman again. Things get a little...hairy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERES PART 2 and it's a lot shorter than the other one LMAO

The second time Dante saw the mystery woman, it was sunny out.

Truth be told, he hadn’t stopped thinking about her since they met. She was a pretty girl, clever to boot, too. It seemed as if she had no trouble keeping up with him.

Initially, he was kind of upset with the fact that the woman had gotten the orb and first. The same artifact that was supposed to pay off his (totally not overdue) bills. Bummer. To be fair, he did say it was a race, so he had to take some fault in the error. The woman had been too hard set to his statement. A fair play.

_“Damn it.”_

At the very least, Dante was thankful that he had another gig lined up. Here he was, climbing around in some old shithole, thoughts about some girl he didn’t even know on a first name basis plaguing his mind to the point of near absence. Where the hell was he going?

The ruins were all very similar in structure, and thankfully the architects of old had put the ancient equivalent of flashing neon signs over the important entrances.

However, it did appear that once again, he was not the first visitor.

In the distance, the faint sound of clanging and shouting could be heard. It was accompanied by the distinct smell of rain and seemed to be getting closer.

When Dante crawled up the steps, he almost couldn’t believe his eyes. _There she was._

Circling around her arms seemed to be something not unlike a cloud formation, clearly sparking with electricity that rippled up and down her arms.

She was sweating and there was a cut on her forehead that was dripping blood. Every time an enemy got too close, she’d let out another bolt of lightning in an attempt to fight it off. The demons seemed almost unaffected by her magic. She was losing this fight.

Dante unholstered the guns from his back and began to fire, taking out a few injured demons and drawing the ire of the others.

“Hey! Don’t you know it’s rude to harass ladies?”

He could feel her gaze burning into him. He wanted to know what her expression was but now was not the time. He had a show to run.

Dante quickly dispatched the first two demons that charged him, then holstered his guns and brandished his sword. He spun on his foot, bringing Rebellion down upon the third assailant’s head and cleaving it in half.

“Come on! You can do better than _that.”_

The creature unhinged its jaw, releasing a long, oozing green tongue. Acid dripped from its mouth, sizzling and cracking the stone on contact.

“Okay, fair enough.”

Dante charged ahead and the creature lashed its horrific appendage out at him. Droplets of acid flew towards him, forcing Dante to cover his face with the flat of the blade. He then brought the edge of his weapon down upon the demon’s head. To his dismay, the creature’s tongue latched onto the sword, entangling itself around it.

Dante shot his companion a near panicked look.

He pulled Rebellion back with all of his strength, the horrid tongue still latched around its whole. Dante then turned to look at his mysterious partner, who had been preoccupied with cutting down lesser demons with her chakrams. She watched him closely.

“Would ya do the honors, sweetheart?”

“Gladly.”

The woman hurled her chakram at the creatures ghoulish tongue and severed it with a nauseating squelch. Though the demon stumbled back, it didn’t really seem to feel anything.

“Thanks, gorgeous.”

Without another word, he drove the tip of Rebellion through the demons head, killing it in a singular blow.

“Well, that was kinda anticlimactic.”

Dante shrugged and turned around to face the woman who was now resting against a crumbling wall.

“Maybe for you, it was… Thanks by the way. For charging in here all knight-in-shining-armor like. I would’ve swooned, but I didn’t feel like getting eaten.”

She shot him a dazzling smile.

“Yeah well… It’s kinda my thing. You alright?”

“I am now.”

The pale haired woman righted herself and walked to him slowly. She looked exhausted.

“So… About that shiny artifact up there...”

“Have at it hot stuff. You earned it.” She muttered, still getting closer.

“Thanks, beautiful.”

“Anytime.”

As if following in his mannerisms, the woman disregarded any notion of “personal space” and was now chest to chest with him. It was then that Dante realized how small she really was.

“I never got your name.”

Aware that he was mumbling now, Dante found himself a little too focused on her face. Those pretty brown eyes...

“Gale. What about you?”

“Dante.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Dante.”

With heavy lidded eyes, Gale stood on the pads of her feet to match Dante’s height. The sudden closeness threw him off.

“I’d… Quite like to see you again.” He could feel the soft brush of her lips as she spoke.

Gale lingered for just a moment longer and then pulled away, practically bouncing. It took more effort than he’d care to admit to not chase her mouth.

_“Damn tease.”_

“And, for _insurance.”_

“What?”

Clasped in her hand was Ebony. He admired it in all its beautiful glory before falling to the realization that he, in fact, had not given it to her. That was his.

“ _H **ey!”**_

A jovial laugh escaped Gale’s mouth. She blew a kiss to him as he ran after her. With a graceful step, she allowed herself to fall backwards off of the cliffside and down into the ruins.

_“See you around hot shot!”_

Dante was not happy in the least _._

No, he was _angry_ at her.

And even angrier at himself that he found it rather attractive.

_**“Fuck.”** _


	3. Why are you so cute?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gale gets a not so surprising surprise visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a little longer than expected to get out, but it's here now and reigns supreme as one of my favorite parts of this fic!

The third time Gale saw Dante, he was stretched out on her futon.

It had been a week since she stole his gun and secretly, she was starting to lose hope that he’d find her. Gale found herself staring at the intricate weapon and thinking of him more often than she cared to admit. It didn’t make sense. It’s not like she’d known him outside of the two occasions they met, she just knew he was fun. Really really fun.

And handsome.

_“Damn.”_

Gale awoke in a rather irritable mood and climbed down the ladder leading to her roost, Dante’s gun unceremoniously tucked in the waistband of her pants. As she turned to head to the kitchen, she came to an abrupt stop.

Draped across her couch, dead asleep with a magazine on his face, was Dante.

“So… Not saying that I mind, but _why_ are you asleep on my couch?” Gale inquired, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.

It took a moment, the man lifted a lazy arm and dragged the magazine off his face. Beneath it were multiple cuts and bruises, still fresh. Perhaps he’d been in a nasty fight recently.

“Well, you see... A pretty lady stole one of my prized possessions and ran off with it, so I spent the next few days asking around about her. Turns out she’s pretty well known.”

Gale smiled at him. She tilted her head and leaned against the wall at her back.

“So, what’d you hear?”

“That apparently, this pretty lady uses wind magic and lightning… and clouds? I wanna see how that works. I also heard that you have a lot of other tricks up your sleeve, perhaps some that no one knows about... But, out of everything I’ve picked up on your trail, not _one word_ has been said about you being an unabashed _thief_.” His tone was serious, but Gale could sense the air of playfulness in his voice.

“What can I say? You’ve brought out a unique side of me.”

She watched Dante as he stood and took a few steps forward, clearly limping. He grunted, faltering as he grabbed his side.

“I think that bastard managed to break a few ribs.” the man cursed.

“Let me see.”

Dante wanted to protest, but Gale had already gotten a handful of his jacket, tugging gently. He sighed and allowed her to free him of it.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman so eager to get my clothes off.” he managed, still wincing at the pain in his chest.

“I’m a _special_ girl.”

Gale hung the coat up and turned on her heel to face Dante once more. He was slouched back down onto the futon.

“Your shirt.”

“Woah Woah, woah. At least take me out for dinner first.”

“Oh, very funny. I need to see the wound.”

“Listen, it’ll heal, I—”

“Don’t know, don’t care. Just show me.”

A moment passed and finally, Dante pulled his shirt off.

_**“ Oh halle-fucking-lujah.”** she thought._

He was just as gorgeous as she’d imagined. Although, she really hoped he wouldn’t be.

The man was all muscles and fine wispy white hair, nearly unnoticeable against his pale skin. Scattered around his form were faint scars she could only barely make out.

_“Fuck. Oh... Shit, yeah okay. Uh!”_

A moment later, Gale’s mind returned to her initial intention which, in fact, was not to gawk at the magnificence of the man before her. The massive bruises around his ribs and chest caught her eye immediately as she came to. They were dark purple in color and looked a lot worse upon closer inspection.

“Liking what you see?”

Gale’s vision snapped up from Dante’s chest to look at him. He had a wide grin on his lips and had reclined back on his elbows, keeping that devilishly smug on his face. He was amused by this.

“Yeah, which is unfortunate.” Gale retorted.

“And why’s that?”

“I was kinda hoping you were flabby or wrinkly... Or maybe had a third nipple or weird liver spots or something. Would’ve ruined how pretty your face is.”

Dante barked out a laugh, eyebrows raised as he looked at the ceiling. His eyes then fixated back down at Gale. Faint as it may have been, she could almost make out a tinge of red forming on his face.

“Nope, sorry beautiful. Just six feet and two inches of perfect man _right here_.”

“Ugh… Perfect, _smug_ man.”

She sighed and crossed her arms.

“Stay put. I know something that’ll help, but I have to make it first.”

He quirked a brow and nodded, adjusting himself so that his arms were draped out across the back of the futon.

“I’ve got time.”

Gale gave him a smile and scampered away, climbing up the ladder to her roost.

To her left was her bed, a couple of faded old bean bag chairs, and a small flat screen tv. To the right was all of her workstations and supplies. It was basically set up like the kitchen downstairs, but instead of food, there were herbs, chemicals, and parts she’d nicked off of all manners of cryptid creatures and ghoulish monsters.

On the other side of the bus, there were rows and rows of bookshelves with hundreds of books, priceless research from herself and others, as well as stories, myths, and even a few cases with artifacts stashed inside.

Even further back was a wall with two doors and a window, one leading to her bathroom and wardrobe, and the other to a miniature greenhouse where she kept plants that weren’t native to this world.

In all, it was home: cozy, familiar, and all hers.

“Okay… Healing salve… Healing salve…”

Gale picked up her trusty friend, the Archivist, and began to flip through its pale pages in search of the recipe she sought.

_‘You could… Simply ask me to find it for you, Lady Zephyr.’_ it mused.

“I’d appreciate that. And you know you don’t have to call me that, right?”

_‘You gave me my name. It is the least amount of respect I could afford to you, Lady Zephyr.’_

“Okay, fine. Whatever. Please help a girl out?”

The pages began to flip of their own accord, turning and shifting until they gently landed upon a page detailing the necessary ingredients for a most effective healing salve.

It took about twenty minutes in total to prepare, grind, and complete the concoction. As Gale poured the tincture into a glass jar, she silently hoped Dante wouldn’t be annoyed with how long it took.

She hurried back over to the ladder, and as she took the first step down, Raziel’s ghostly voice whispered in her ear.

_‘Be careful… Lady Zephyr, I know of his kind from long before I met you… His kin are dangerous to be around.’_ the voice hazed.

“He’s not gonna hurt me, Raziel.”

_‘Maybe not **intentionally** , no… Simply a warning, Lady Zephyr…’_

Gale mulled on that for a moment before descending the rest of the way. Sure enough, Dante was in the same exact spot as before.

He’d fallen asleep. Again.

He looked peaceful in his slumber, that wicked grin gone and replaced by the bliss of rest.

She almost didn’t want to wake him up, but she knew he must have been in pain.

“Dante… Dante… Wake up, big guy. I’ve got the salve.”

It took a moment, but shaking him gently by the arm was enough to get those green eyes to flutter awake.

He stared for a moment, eyes soft and face lax. It was as if he were deep in thought for a moment. As quickly as it was there, it was gone. The man groaned as he sat back up, that mischievous glint back in his gaze.

“Well, sure did take ya long enough, didn’t it?” He grinned.

“Sorry about that. Forgot that this was one of my longer remedies. Here, it’s gonna smell weird but it’ll help— pinky promise.”

Her sentiment earned another laugh from him.

“Alright.”

Gale took a generous amount of the paste from the clay jar. She rubbed it between her two fingers and smeared it along his ribs, taking extra care to be gentle where the worst of the damage was.

It took a great deal of effort not to focus too hard on him as she began to work the salve in. Instead, she paid close attention to the way her finger dragged along the dark bruising, delicately tracing the ridges of muscle and soft skin. She wondered if her fascination with him was apparent.

Dante let out a shudder and from that alone, Gale could tell it was completing its intended purpose. Already, the contusions began to fade away.

That was one peculiar thing about her world’s healing magic. It was quiet with no flashy display of fantastical light. It did what it needed to and went without a trace.

Gale had been to many worlds where healing worked in great blazing pillars of white light, something one might imagine heaven would look like if the sky parted ways for it.

Absurdity.

“Thanks, gorgeous. Feel better already.” Dante offered with a nod, looking rather impressed with how quickly his wounds had been reversed.

“Good. I’m glad I could help.” Gale grinned up at him and found herself staring once again, this time for a lingering moment.

“Oh uh… I’ve got something of yours.”

Out from her waistband, she presented Dante with the weapon he’d been missing and handed it to him. He scoffed.

“Well _hello_ there lovely. Looks like you’ve been on quite the adventure yourself.”

He grabbed it out of Gale’s hands and looked it over, returning it to its holster.

“Thanks, but why’d you take it in the first place?”

“Insurance.”

“Yeah, I got that the first time. Care to clarify?”

Gale sighed and rolled her eyes. “I wanted to make sure you’d find me.”

“Could have just asked me on a date, sweetheart.”

“Mmm… Yeah. But where’s the fun in that?”

She found herself sitting right next to him, close enough that their knees occasionally touched when she turned on her side to face him.

They ended up talking for hours about anything and everything under the sun. Crazy adventures they’d had, the coolest treasures they’d plundered from tombs, favorite foods, favorite restaurants— most topics imaginable.

It was nice, and not just in a “he’s cute” way. It was legitimately nice to have a refreshing conversation like this. Gale reminisced on this for a moment. It wasn't something she’d had in a while. Past the cocky attitude, Dante was actually kind of sweet, even if he was an absolute disaster.

“So wait, you’re only twenty-one? Jesus, you really are a kid.”

“I’m not a kid, you’re just an _old man.”_

“Oh, it’s _**on.”**_

He’d moved with startling speed, grabbing Gale by the hips and dragging her down so he was hovering over her, pinning her to the futon.

For a moment, it was all fun and games, just a quick wrestle… And then suddenly it wasn’t. Suddenly he was _very_ close and it was _very_ warm in this _tiny_ little space.

“Ha… Uh… Hmm. Forgot you only met me like a week ago, didn’t you?”

“Something… Like that? Uh…” He cleared his throat and grinned, a little bashful quirk at the corner of his mouth.

“I’ve gotta go… But uh, I’ve got this place... It’s called Devil May Cry. Wouldn’t be such a bad thing if you showed up someday.”

“Okay… I’d like that.”

And with that he was up, Gale slowly following after him, watching as he smiled and shot her finger guns. He stumbled slightly as he walked backwards down the steps.

He was gone again.

Gale pulled away from where she’d stopped Gusty. She began to look for a new spot to open shop, but something was nagging at the back of her mind.

_“Oh shit!”_

She turned and glanced beside the futon. Sure enough, there on the hook was Dante’s red coat.

“ That dumbass forgot to grab it...”

She slowed the bus down to a stop, got up, and walked over to it.

“No one’s here, no one will judge…”

In a swift motion, Gale yanked the jacket from its hook and put it on. It practically swallowed her whole and the ends of it dragged on the ground. Despite this, it was warm and the scent of it reminded her of Dante. She kind of liked it.


	4. It's a date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gale gets cozy at Dante's place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't expect to already have this out but here we are!

The fourth time Dante saw her, she was like an angel, clad in red and draped out on his desk.

Dante had just returned from a mission. Lady stole his kill (again), and the man that hired them on skimped out on their pay. He made up some ridiculous excuse about how “they didn’t do the job right.”

It was a really simple one, kill the bad guys before anyone innocent got hurt. If he couldn’t agree with how Dante ran things, then Dante couldn’t be bothered to care any less.

The day was pretty bleak. Already, he wasn’t in a great mood, constantly mumbling to himself about “bullshit this” and “bullshit that,” slamming the doors open in irritation. He watched his feet as he walked, refusing to look up until he was right in front of his desk. The man stopped dead in his tracks.

That girl, the same girl that had been on his mind nonstop since their first chance meeting was laid out in his desk, clear as day.

She wore his jacket draped over her shoulders like a cascade of red leather. Dangling above her head was a slice of the pizza he’d ordered, her mouth wide open and quite expectant of the melted cheese falling from its side..

Dante had no objections to this sight.

“Well… I wasn’t expecting such a nice gift on my desk this morning.”

“Yeah? I was just so excited about seeing you again. And you left something of yours with me… I just couldn’t help myself.”

She turned onto her side and propped her head up on her fist.

“Hey, handsome.”

“Hello, gorgeous.”

Dante walked around the desk, watching her roll and nearly knock the pizza off to watch him as he sat down into his chair.

“Hey! Careful, quality pizza right here.”

He had the box in his lap, his boots now propped up on the desk.

“Mmm, I don’t know about that. Kinda tastes like a greasy sponge.”

“And just when I thought we could be friends.”

Gale laughed and reached forward, taking herself another slice from the box.

“Woah, hey! Hands off the goods. You don’t talk shit and then get to eat more.”

“I think I do. After all, you still owe me for that salve. Those are hard to get materials, you know.”

“Oh really? Now, why don't I recall any mention of a fee for that service?”

“I was being _nice.”_

Dante snorted and looked her over again.

She really was gorgeous, and he was taking a liking to seeing her in his coat.

_‘Wonder how she’d look in one of my shirts… And now I’m getting ahead of myself.’_

“So, I gotta say. When I heard the name _Devil May Cry,_ I was expecting something a little more…”

“Put together? Clean? Popular? _Professional?_ I get that one a lot.”

“Violent.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know, it kinda just sounded like a big fighting ring... O-or strip club, some sleazy shit like that. I like this... Yeah, it needs cleaned up, but… Well, why the fuck do you have posters of models all over the place but? I mean, not bad old man, but damn.”

Dante scoffed at the backhanded compliment.

“Why thank you, hot stuff.”

“Anytime, sexy.”

“You two are gonna make me throw up.”

Dante looked up and saw none other than Lady, Kalina Ann, in tow at the front doors.

“Who said you could come here? I’m still mad at you.”

“Yeah? Tough.” he smiled. Despite his "anger," she returned his remark with a wink.

“So, good to see you again, but how the absolute _hell_ did you meet Dante? And _why_ hasn't he told me about you?”

“Good to see you again, too. And probably because he doesn't want to admit that I'm a better treasure hunter than he is. By the way I don't think I ever introduced myself by name. Gale Weathers. ”

Dante watched as Gale sat up and hopped off the desk, his jacket long enough to _just_ brush the ground. It was adorable.

Gale practically pranced up to Lady, holding her hand out for the woman to shake.

“...Lady. It’s nice to meet you— Well. _Again_.”

She was a little awkward, but the aggressive level of friendliness seemed to help this. She stood awaiting a response with a small smile.

_“Lady_. I've always thought that was an interesting name.”

She planted herself down next to the woman and just like that, they were off.

_“Jesus, she just got here and she’s already weaseling her way into the group.”_ Dante mused.

He liked this girl

\---.

_“So._ I took his gun. And I ran away.”

“That’s… That’s phenomenal, so good job. But also, _Dante,_ how the _fuck_ did you manage to let some random girl steal Ebony?”

He laughed and shrugged as he took a swig of his beer. She’d been here upwards of four hours now and had been briefly introduced to Trish, who had immediately grinned like the cat with the canary as she winked at Dante.

_“Take care of him, he needs it.”_

_“Uhhh…”_

_Saying nothing else, she’d slinked away._

“Listen…”

Dante raised both hands and leaned forward.

“...It’s not my fault. I wasn’t expecting the girl I just saved to immediately turn around and rob me.”

“I didn’t _rob_ you, I just gave you incentive to find me.”

She laughed into her drink and leaned over on the couch.

“Hell of an incentive.”

_“Right!?”_

Lady giggled and took a sip from her own drink.

“Listen, this has been super fun, but I’m gonna go crawl into my room for now.”

“You have a room here?”

“Oh yeah, this place is huge. Trish and I have our own crash pad for when we’re in town.”

Gale raised her brows and nodded.

“Huh… Wonder what a gal has to do around here to get in on _that_.”

Both Dante and Lady laughed at that.

“Actually, nothing. You may not have your own room, but I keep a guest bedroom available for any hunters that might be teaming up for a job.”

“Ooh, great!”

“Yeah, make yourself at home.”

Gale looked at him and smiled broadly. It was enough to make his heart skip a beat.

“Haven’t had a proper bedroom in a while… Will be a nice change of pace.”

Dante only barely picked up on Lady slinking away out of the corner of his eye. He was much too distracted by how suddenly close Gale had gotten. The two were now entirely alone.

“Thank you for letting me stay here. I know I’ve been a bit of a pain in the ass.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I’d rather you steal shit then try and stab me. You don’t want to know how many people have gone with the second choice.”

Gale laughed at the thought and sighed, inching her way closer to him.

“Say uh… Dante…”

“Yeah?”

“I was kinda wondering if uh… Maybe you’d like to go get a drink sometime? A proper one, not just hanging out with your buddies on your couch.”

He smirked warmly. He would never admit to how hard his heart was pounding or the celebration going on in his head, but both were present.

“Sure, yeah… I’d like that.”

“Okay… See you later.”

Gale shot him a look and stared at him for a moment longer. She stood and sauntered outside, presumably to retrieve her things.

Meanwhile, Dante leaned back in his chair and wondered just what the hell he was in for.


	5. Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some demons are more clever than they have any right to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS IT LADS.
> 
> THE END OF THE PREQUEL.
> 
> Hope yall enjoyed!

The fifth time Gale saw her crazy cowboy, she was laying in a pool of her own blood.

Gale knew Dante for about six months now. They’d gotten drinks on a few (dozen) occasions. Their flirting was and had remained as constant as ever, but neither of them never really seemed confident enough to advance past this stage.

They were _friends_ , so to say. Very, very close friends. So close in fact that Gale was practically in Dante’s lap most days.

She enjoyed him and everything he had to offer, but as much as she did, she was kind of scared to press her luck with him. He was intimidating for sure...

Dante was handsome and strong. Fast and clever. Witty and honestly, a huge flirt. So much that it was hard to tell if he genuinely liked her or if he was just being himself with her.

One thing she was certain. The two of them made a hell of a team together.

They’d been on a number of hunts together now, always pulling ahead of every rival team they faced off against. Stashing goodies, slaying demons, and everything else in the name of the game, it was all automatic for them.

Dante was swimming in cash— or would have been if he knew how to manage it.

This mission was supposed to be no different from any other. Big, powerful guy: destroy it, get money, same old song and dance.

Gale overheard Dante call it an _Angelo_ , and by the look on his face, it wasn’t the kind of demon you should underestimate.

“Are you _sure_ you wanna come with? This isn’t like the others… This could get real hairy.”

She smiled up at him, flattered with his uncharacteristic concern.

“Yeah, Dante. I’m sure. I don’t want to pussy out just because you tell me it’s all big and scary. Just means I should be there even more. Someone's gotta watch your backsides.”

Gale shot a wink at Trish and Lady. The former blew a kiss towards her, and the latter grinned viciously.

Dante hummed and scratched at his scruffy chin in contemplation before nodding.

“Sure, yeah… Fair enough. But _be careful_.”

“I will. I’d say the same to you, but I know you won’t _.”_

The white-haired man smirked at the comment. It may have been true, but Dante knew he could handle himself in most any situation. Even the thought of seeing Gale in the kind of danger he threw himself into made him uncomfortable. Brushing the thought from his mind, Dante turned and headed towards the door.

The team opted to take their own routes to the location in question. Gale elected to hop rooftop to rooftop with the help of her wind magicks, arriving just about the same time Lady did.

There was a sizable pack of demons running down the main street, a few Furies, a couple of Death Scissors, a handful of the Chaos demons that Dante always raved about. At the far side of the group, Gale thought she spotted a Hell Judecca which was fearsome enough on its own. However, there was one thing that caught her eye the most. There, in the center of the horde of creatures was the Angelo.

Towering above the rest of the group, its tall, pale horns spiraling above an uncannily human face. The beast’s body looked to be armored in a fleshy metal that warped and shaped, winding around it and to a gruesome cloak. In its hand was a blade, long with the wicked curve of a scimitar. The edge of it was tinged in red.

Gale didn’t bother engaging this Angelo, for Dante was already in pursuit. From their time together, she knew he performed better without someone else getting involved. Instead, Gale focused on clearing the mass of lesser enemies.

Her priority was to take out the Death Scissors that had been eyeing her since she got to the scene.

One of the foul creatures let out a shrill sound as it sunk beneath the ground, quickly appearing in front of Gale. She managed to sidestep the attack _before_ getting her head cut clean off. With an agile move of her arm, Gale released the chakram from her back and gripped it tightly.

The Death Scissor made another pass at her, but before it could recoup from the lunge, one of Kalina Ann’s rockets crashed straight into its face. Gale laughed and turned to look at Lady, grinning fiercely as ever. She threw her a disheveled salute and returned her focus on the now agitated Death Scissors.

On its third attack, the creature howled as it made yet another enraged swipe at Gale. She stood her ground until it got close, throwing her chakram vertically at the Scissors. When they snapped shut, they jammed themselves on the curvature of the blade, creating a perch for Gale to run along.

She cupped her hands together and a ball of electricity crackled to life, condensing into a bomb of electricity. The static of it clung to the top of the demons head, just above its ominous mask.

As Gale jumped away, she could hear the shrill shriek of the creature dying as the bomb detonated, frying it and a couple of Empusa that had just crawled out from underground.

The chakram bounced to the ground and rolled straight back to her.

_**“Dammit!** Get back here you little shit!”_

Turning just in time to see Dante chasing after the Angelo, Gale laughed and returned to her work. She continued to quell the larger groups of lesser demons while Trish and Lady took on the smaller groups of stronger demons together.

Of course, they’d only realize their mistake a little too late.

Truthfully, it seemed a little _too_ perfect the way the demons were positioned; so conveniently placed as if to keep them equally distracted.

Just then, a ringing noise formed in the air, growing to an unbearable volume within seconds.

Trish and Lady looked around, unable to place where the horrific noise was coming from, but Gale knew immediately. She could see the powerful demonic wind magic working itself right in between her two companions.

Gale took off as fast as she could, using her own magic to propel her forward at a speed faster than humanly possible. She could see the Angelo forming on the spot as if it was all in slow motion.

The creature turned toward Lady and brought its scimitar down at an angle, cleaving in her direction. All Gale could do was shoulder check her out of they hard enough to send her sprawling on the ground.

Despite her best efforts, Gale couldn’t move out of the way quick enough. She could only watch as the blade came arcing down into her head.

Suddenly, the whole world went white.

For a moment, Gale thought she might have died, but she could still hear screams of rage and horror— and the sounds of vicious combat. It was distant, but there, and Gale fought relentlessly to claw herself back into consciousness.

When she came to, she was in pure agony _._ Her entire body was wracked with pain. The scimitar was more than likely charged with some form of magic, for the terrorizing sensation of burning stung and blazed beneath her flesh. She had lost all vision in her left eye and the burn marks on her arms seared into her skin were actively smoking.

Her blood dampened her shirt and pooled around her. Seeing the crimson color of it sent her into a dizzying state. It was apparent that the cold embrace of lifelessness was settling on her once again. With what remaining strength she had left, Gale lifted her head, but everything was spinning and dancing in her view. She felt heavy moving, as if the air itself had become as thick as she spilled blood.

While her sight was fading, Gale could barely make out Trish and Lady, fighting with their everything on her behalf. The Angelo seemed to be unscathed by the battle, easily holding its own against her team. Even through the pain, Gale wanted nothing more than to get up and help. There were more demons approaching and they were going to be overwhelmed, but she could do nothing to warn them. Nothing to call out to them. She was just so _tired_.

Finally, Gale let her head fall, staring into the sky. She let her mind drift into oblivion.

Shouting woke her from this deathly state. The loudness and volatility was not human and definitely not feminine. Upon lifting her gaze, Gale could make out the blurry shape of a frenzied red form assaulting the Angelo along with who she suspected to be Trish and Lady. The tides of combat had turned, and the Angelo was no longer winning the war. The creature was now on the defensive and heavily injured at that. The figure in red laid down relentless attacks, leaving absolutely no opportunity for the monster to retaliate. The scarlet assailant wielded a blade, one Gale immediately recognized as none other than Rebellion. In a fell swoop, the weapon chopped through the Angelo’s head with relative ease, felling it rather effortlessly.

The demon’s head soared to the ground with a sickening thud, rolling across the battlefield to face Gale, it’s body following shortly after. The red fury, now understood to be Dante, hovered in the air for a moment, his chest heaving with exhaustion. He descended to the ground, quickly morphing back into his human form and immediately sprinting off towards Gale. Dante skidded on his knees as he reached her and took her up in his arms.

Gale groaned with pain as her wounds were seized with the sudden unrest, allowing her head to fall weakly upon his shoulder.

“Jesus… Gale, hey! Can you hear me, sweetheart?”

Gale almost didn’t recognize his soft voice.

“Mm… Here… Just… Real tired…”

He laughed meekly, the glint of tears in his eye.

“Yeah, a metric fuckton of acid and lightning to the body might do that… Not to mention…” He gestured at her face, wiping the drip of blood off with his thumb.

“Just... Stay with me alright? You’ll make it through this.”

Gale shut her eyes as she listened to Dante’s voice. It seemed to fade from her mind somewhere in between his cooing at her and his panicked orders at the others.

The trek was filled with stops, necessary for checking her vitals every time she slipped from consciousness. An hour later, they made it back to Devil May Cry, the fear of Gale’s death subsiding from being an immediate threat. However, Dante refused to leave her side. He spent his time situated at her bedside. Occasionally, he’d hold her hand and speak to her, hopeful that she could hear him still.

“Y’know… If you wanted all this attention from me, you didn’t have to go and nearly get yourself killed, beautiful.”

“Yeah… But where’s… Where’s the fun in that?” She replied with a groggy smile.

“You had me so worried… When I realized my stupid mistake— that I was just running away so he could pick all of you off… I was frightened— I thought that I was gonna lose one of you. And then I came back and…” He choked, shaking his head with a self-deprecating smile.

“I’ve never been the brightest Sparda in my family.”

“Aw… Hush… I think you’re… Plenty smart…”

“God, I saw you laying there and thought I was never gonna get to tell you…”

Dante trailed off and straightened up in his seat, looking away shyly.

“Tell me what..?”

The silence was suspenseful.

“Dante… Tell me what..?”

Eventually, Dante turned his gaze to her and said nothing. There was no need to. She could see that look in his eyes, even under all the gray-white hair.

“...Kiss me.”

Startled, Dante made a noise in mild protest, but didn’t wait for her to reiterate herself.

He leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers, delicately and terribly all at the same time. On the softness of his lips, the taste of a strawberry sundae lingered.

Suddenly, there was no pain. Only bliss.


End file.
